Closing is a Journey you take with the prospect. You may guide the prospect through journey, but but it is something that is a joint effort. Closing is NOT something you do to the prospect at the end of a discussion. Way too much emphasis is placed on closing in popular movies and even in sales training. If you do the right things up front in qualifying the prospect, then closing will happen as a natural consequence of everything that went before. If you do not qualify properly then clever closing techniques will not save the day. Remember that closing can also mean ending the pursuit.
Archives for February 2017
Excuse Making Prevents Growth
February 2, 2017 by
Growth of a salesperson as measured by sales effectiveness and an increase in revenue is dependent on many factors. Among those factors are motivation, an effective sales process, interpersonal skills, and belief systems that the sales person possesses. However, a trait often overlooked is personal responsibility. Or, said another way, the tendency to make excuses prevents you from growing as a salesperson. Here is a quote from Colleen Francis in her engage selling blog.
Now, there is obviously a mixture of key strengths an ideal salesperson should possess, but one that stands out for me is personal responsibility.
A salesperson is simply not prepared to reach their maximum potential until they take responsibility for their wins, losses, and their development as a sales professional.
When a person makes excuses for lack of results what they are actually saying to themselves (though they may not realize it) is “I don’t have to change. I just have wait for the world to change and then my results will be better.” Personal responsibility is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for growth. If I do take responsibility but don’t commit to discovering what is causing the failure and then further commit to changing it I will remain stagnant.
